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The $5k prototype that built a billion-dollar brand
They all said her idea was “stupid”...until she made it undeniable
Vessal Jaberi
June 11, 2025
THE SIGNAL
Inspired by a simple question from his daughter to get to the bottom of why so many adults stop learning new skills, Tom Vanderbilt went on a journey to find the keys to unlock growth & new skills at any stage of life.
Being able to lean into (and even embrace) your fears can make you unstoppable & make the achievement of your goals inevitable. This short quiz will help you start down your path to becoming truly fearless.
These 8 business leaders led their companies to growth that outpaced the S&P 500 by a factor of 20x. This book draws the curtain and reveals their unconventional approach that led to extraordinary results.
The Toolbox
The days of needing to hire expensive developers who struggle to fully grasp (let alone build) your vision are over.
You can now use no code platforms to create and launch web apps and mobile apps.
In fact, these platforms will take care of all the backend stuff (like servers, databases, security, integrations, etc) so you can focus on getting your idea out to the people who need it most.
The Journey
You likely have heard of Sara Blakely.
Even if you have, stick with me because:
She went from selling fax machines door-to-door...
To becoming the youngest self-made female billionaire in history.
But here's the REAL story that most people don't know...
Before Spanx became a household name...
Sara spent TWO YEARS getting laughed out of every meeting she took.
She went to every hosiery mill she could find...
But they were all run by old men who thought her idea was insane.
"Why would anyone want to cut the feet off pantyhose?"
(Which was literally what her first prototype was)
But instead of getting discouraged...
She got CREATIVE.
While all the male mill owners rejected her...
She began to track down the wives and daughters of those executives.
And guess what?
They LOVED the idea.
Because they actually understood the problem she was trying to solve.
Two weeks after getting one of these women to try her prototype...
That woman’s father-in-law, who ran the mill, gave Sara a call...
And “suddenly” he was ready to do business.
But here's where it gets even better...
Sara had ZERO experience in retail or manufacturing.
She even wrote her own patent application because of how expensive lawyer fees were...
(She did it using a textbook she bought at Barnes & Noble)
And the first version of Spanx packaging?
She created it by studying other brands’ packaging at her local Target for hours.
The lesson?
Sometimes your biggest "disadvantages" are actually advantages in disguise.
Because Sara DIDN'T know the "right way" to do things...
She wasn't limited by industry conventions.
She could think DIFFERENT.
Her constraints “forced” her to see opportunities everyone else missed.
Today, Sara is worth over a billion dollars.
Not bad for someone who started with $5,000 in savings...
And a pair of scissors to cut the feet off her pantyhose.
The Next Step
Examine where you have allowed excuses to stop you from taking action.
Maybe you feel like you have a "lack of experience" or a “lack of knowledge”.
The truth though?
Sometimes... not knowing the "rules"...
Means you are free to write your own.
And that might just be your biggest advantage.